An eight-year-old girl's devastated parents say she was killed by foreign doctors who wanted to harvest her organs.

Gukiren Kaur Loyal, from Hockley, Birmingham, was on a family holiday to India when she was struck with a mild case of dehydration last month.

Parents Amrit and Santokh said they took their daughter to a health clinic where she was given a lethal injection which took her life.

They said that the schoolgirl dropped dead just seconds after a worker at the Punjabi clinic injected her with a mysterious liquid.

The youngster's relatives kept a mortuary vigil over Gurkiren so that her organs died before they could be used in transplant operations.

But her family claim the body parts were still removed in a 'medieval' post-mortem examination using a hammer and chisel - to disguise the cause of death.

When Gurkiren's body was brought back to the UK only her eyes remained – making it impossible for UK medics to determine how she died.

Amrit, 50, told a local news agency: "My baby was innocent and now I am devastated without her. Gurkiren was fine, she was chatting to us and planned to buy some gifts for her cousins.

"While we were talking an assistant came up carrying a pre-filled syringe and reached for the tube in her hand.

"I asked what was the injection for, but he gave me a blank look and injected the liquid into her.

"Within a split-second Gurkiren's head flipped back, her eyes rolled in her head, and the colour completely drained from her. I knew they had killed her on the spot.

"I knew my innocent child had been murdered. They said they would use a hammer and chisel to open her but I demanded a more dignified, discreet examination."

Amrit said the family was reassured that a dignified and respectful autopsy would be carried out.

But they were horrified when they found Gurkiren's blood-spattered and torn clothes by an incinerator.

The devastated shop assistant and her postal worker husband gave statements to Indian police but said there was no evidence Gurkiren's death had been investigated.

Once her body was flown home, the couple, had a UK post-mortem performed on their daughter.

But they were dealt a further blow when Birmingham coroner Aidan Cotter phoned to say that no cause of death could be found.

Amrit told the agency: "He said it was impossible to come to a conclusion for the cause of death.

"They had nothing to work from, she had no organs in her body for them to take samples.

"I was mortified that all the pleading in India had no effect. There was no sensitivity, no humanity."

A spokesperson for Mr Cotter said an inquest had been opened and adjourned as staff awaited the possible return of Gurkiren's organs from India.

She said: "A post-mortem examination was carried out, but we were unable to ascertain a cause of death. We are doing everything we can to help the family."

The Foreign Office confirmed that Gurkiren died on April 2 in India.

A spokesperson said: "We can confirm the death of a British national in Punjab on April 2, 2013. We provided consular assistance to the family at this difficult time."

Birmingham Labour MP Shabana Mahmood has pledged to assist Gurkiren's family in establishing the cause of her death.

"This is a deeply shocking and devastating tragedy," she said.

"Gurkiren's death, and the failure of the Indian authorities and the British High Commission to provide adequate support to the family, has added to their considerable distress – as has the appalling removal of all of her organs.

"I have raised this matter urgently with ministers at the Foreign Office seeking their support in ensuring Gurkiren's organs are returned to her family.

"It is imperative that we have the chance to independently establish the cause of death with the authorities in the UK."